Skills for Health have published a COVID-19 workforce report, which highlights that the pandemic has had wider than expected consequences on the healthcare sector, that will continue to significantly influence service delivery for some time to come.
Of the 3000 respondents:
- 72.2% said that their training needs have increased
- 22.7% say that skills will be lost due to the pandemic
- 46.5% of respondents state that their respective organisations are planning to increase recruitment over the next 6 months (further increasing the need for training)
Many of the training needs are a direct effect of working during the pandemic and relate to PPE usage, infection control, new ways of working (including clinical management of patients).
However, additional training needs related to soft skills such as:
- Dealing with out-of-the-ordinary situations (95%)
- Awareness of changing clients/service users’ needs (96.7%)
- Active listening (96.5%)
- Awareness and understanding of others’ reactions (96.4%)
- Leadership training and development (52.65%)
- Organisational development (52%)
Skills for Health: National research confirms COVID-19 lasting impact on NHS, health & care workforce